As You Wish
by KikutaMaster
Summary: The votes are in! Here's the story my fans most wanted to read! Xellos tells of an ancient device that may be the only thing that can change Zel back into a human. The only problem is this device happens to be the center of a raging war.
1. Discovery! A New Cure for Zel?

Any given morning in a town as small as this one should start off sunny, with birds singing and people bustling, and a deep feeling that life is good and nothing can go wrong.

Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Zelgadis stared at his breakfast, still untouched, and tried to ignore, among other things, Lina. He knew she was watching him, even though she thought he didn't notice. She'd glance at him out of the corner of her eye every so often. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly; she didn't want to upset Amelia or Gourry across the table.

"Nothing," Zel said, but he sounded gloomier than usual, "Just not hungry…"

"You sick?"

"Don't think so…"

Lina would have followed up on that but she heard a soft giggle across the room from them. She looked up to see a group like theirs, two boys and two girls, at another table a few rows over. They were talking softly and shooting looks at Lina's group.

At Zel, she realized.

If she concentrated, Lina could hear their conversation.

"…bizarre." one boy whispered.

"I know, right?" the first girl said.

"…think he's kinda cute." the second girl giggled.

"For what? A troll?" the second boy quipped.

As they laughed, Lina felt her mouth drop open. And then she did something she wished she hadn't.

She looked at Zel.

Maybe she had trouble hearing them, but those ears of his would have picked up the whole thing. He'd heard every word. And as she saw the pain cloud his eyes, Lina felt rage boil up inside her. She growled as she stood, pushing the chair back loudly and fixing the group with a glare. She was about to walk toward them when a strong hand gripped her arm.

Lina looked down and saw Zel's rocky fingers around her wrist. She frowned at him.

Without looking at her, Zel said, "Don't, Lina. Please."

Lina relaxed but glanced back at the four teenagers before sitting down again. They looked genuinely scared of her, of what she may have done to them. She returned to her seat as they cowered at their table for the next few seconds. She didn't hear another word from them.

"What happened?" Gourry asked, clueless.

"I'll tell you later," Lina said.

"Well, looks like you won't be winning any beauty contests here, Zelgadis," a very familiar but very unwelcome voice said from behind them.

"Oh, just take off while you're ahead, Xellos," Zel growled, running his fingers through his wiry hair and turning away from the newly materialized monster at the table beside theirs.

"Then, I take it you don't want to hear my good news," Xellos smiled, "I may have finally found a way to cure you of your little problem."

"Oh, I'll bet…" Zel muttered.

"Hush," Lina nudged him, "What do you know, Xellos?"

"Well, I happen to know of an ancient device," Xellos began, "said to have been built by the gods. They call it the Wish Grantor, because it can grant anyone's deepest desire."

Despite himself, Zel was listening now. He wasn't sure how much of it to believe, but he might as well hear the monster out.

"It is located in a cavern at the top of Mount Esha," Xellos continued, "Which is to the east of here."

"We could head east instead of north," Lina said, her eyes on Zel's face, "I didn't have any clear destination in mind anyway."

She watched Zel working it out in his head. Xellos interrupted them.

"There is one problem, however," he raised a finger for attention.

"What's that, Mr. Xellos?" Amelia asked.

"Mount Esha and the Wish Grantor happen to be the objects of a war." Xellos informed them cheerfully.

"What?!" Lina cried.

"You see, something like that is highly sought after by many men and women," Xellos explained, "a device that can grant any wish."

Lina was starting to follow him. She continued, "Most people wouldn't wish for something as harmless as a cup of tea…"

"Endless riches, immortality, world domination." Xellos said in a low voice, "It will give you whatever you want. But not all people would wish for something beneficial to everyone."

"In the wrong hands…" Zel started but didn't finish.

"Yes," Xellos nodded, "so three great rulers have begun a battle for the mountain. Each claims that if it is won by their country, it will be protected from people with unsavory ambitions."

"But I'll bet they have a few of their own," Lina said.

"These rulers…" Zel asked, "Which countries are they from?"

"Well, actually," Xellos smiled again, "you already know them."

"What do you mean?"

"The three kingdoms fighting for the Wish Grantor are Ruvingald, Taforashia, and Seyruun."

"Seyruun?!" Amelia leapt from her chair at this news.

"As a matter of fact," Xellos added, as if he'd only just thought of it, "Prince Philionel was wounded in battle just yesterday."

"What? Daddy?!" Amelia shrieked.

"I'm sure he's fine, Amelia," Lina said, surreptitiously grabbing a handful of Xellos' hair and yanking it.

"Ow!"

"We have to go see him!" Amelia insisted, "He could be in pain! He could be…could be…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, so she took off for the stairs to their room above.

"Looks like we're headed east after all…" Lina said.

"Guess so…" Zel agreed.


	2. Seyruun! Just a Stopover?

Normally, covering the distance between them and Seyruun would have taken two days. But they were there the next morning thanks to Amelia's determination to see her father. She was terrified they'd arrive too late, and she'd have to, as she put it, "wield the hammer of justice alone". Lina spent the journey reassuring her that this would not be the case. Gourry still had only half an idea what was going on. Zelgadis only spoke when he had to, spending the trip wondering how much of Xellos' story was truth and why the monster would give it that willingly. Xellos himself was not present; he'd disappeared soon before their flight for the city of white magic.

They were met at the gate by guards, who swept the group with suspicious gazes. When their eyes fell on Amelia, they knelt immediately.

"Ah! Princess!" one said, surprised, "We did not know –"

"Where is my father?" Amelia demanded, unable to keep the worry from her voice.

The guards exchanged glances, hesitant. One finally stood and led them to the castle.

* * *

"Daddy!"

"Amelia?" Prince Philionel looked both astonished and pleased by his daughter's sudden appearance. When she ran across the room and leapt into his arms, he wasted no time wrapping her in a bear hug.

"I was so worried!" Amelia told him, tears in her eyes.

"There, there, Amelia!" Phil told her with a smile, "As you can see, I'm perfectly alright!" He set her down on the edge of the bed beside him, but her eyes still strayed to the bandages covering his left hand and nearly all of his torso.

"I don't understand how this happened," Lina said later as they walked the halls of the castle, "Phil's a pacifist. Seyruun wouldn't get involved in a war!"

"Mount Esha lies in Seyruun territory," Xellos explained, "While they may not want the power of the Wish Grantor for their own, they certainly can't allow two neighboring countries to wander into their domain and take something of theirs."

"They're only fighting to defend it then," Zelgadis deduced.

"Basically!" Xellos smiled.

"What do you suppose the other two kingdoms want with it?" Zel asked.

"I can guess Pokota's intentions," Lina said, "He'll probably use his wish to rebuild Taforashia."

"Pokota doesn't seem the ulterior motive type," Zel agreed.

"No," Lina said, "But Ruvingald may not be so benevolent…"

On that note, Lina stopped. Zelgadis and Xellos turned to look at her.

"Where's Gourry?" Lina asked suddenly.

"Haven't seen him." Zel said.

"Mm, not since we arrived," Xellos agreed.

"We?" Zel shot him a look. Xellos had only just appeared from thin air twenty minutes ago.

Lina glanced back the way they'd come but said nothing more.

"Want me to go find him?" Zel asked.

"If you're not busy," Lina grinned.

"Don't find us, we'll find you," Zel said and went back down the hall.

"Gotcha!" Lina called after him.

* * *

"Probably should have expected this…"

Zel found Gourry in the courtyard.

Having a staring contest with a toad.

"Gourry, come on," Zel told him, "Lina's looking for you."

"Hold on, Zel, I've almost got him…" Gourry said.

Zelgadis sighed and leaned against the castle wall.

"Are you OK?" Gourry asked, not taking his eyes off the toad.

"I'm fine," Zel said, "I just don't know why we have to be here so long."

"We're making sure Phil's OK, aren't we?" Gourry frowned in confusion, but didn't blink. The toad croaked but kept its eyes open.

"I know that," Zel spoke as if to a child, "I just figure we could be on that mountain by now."

Rather than take offense, Gourry seemed to understand better what Zel was saying. Eyes still locked with the toad's, he said, "You're not worried about Phil?"

"Not really," Zel said, "He's stronger than he looks."

"He looks pretty strong…" Gourry nodded.

"This is just a stopover, as far as I'm concerned," Zel shrugged.

Gourry looked up at Zel, causing the toad to croak and hop away. "Stopover?" he asked.

Zel didn't really know how to explain. But he didn't need to.

"Um, Zel?" Gourry asked.

"Yeah?"

"Did you think about…maybe how Amelia's feeling?" Gourry struggled to put the thought together.

"What?" Zelgadis looked down at the crouched swordsman.

"Well, Amelia's always really supportive of whatever we do," Gourry said slowly, "Is it a lot to ask that we do what she wants sometimes?"

Zel frowned, a little confused now himself. He didn't know how to answer that. But, again, he didn't need to.

"Mr. Gourry! Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia called their names as she ran across the courtyard to meet them. She stopped in front of them, smiling happily. "Daddy's throwing us a ball!"

"What?" Gourry and Zel both looked dumbfounded.

"Well, I guess he's really throwing _me _a ball…" Amelia said, remembering her father's words from moments before:

"We must celebrate your return!" Phil cried excitedly, leaping out of bed despite his wounds, "We'll throw a party! And we must start preparations at once!"

"But you're definitely invited anyway," Amelia informed them presently. "I must go tell Miss Lina!" And with that, she dashed merrily away.

"…I don't know how to dance," Gourry said worriedly.

"What were you saying about doing what Amelia wants?" Zel asked sourly.


	3. Author's Note

Hello all! Welcome to KM's very first Slayers fic! I hope you are enjoying it so far. Before we continue, I'd like to take a moment and talk to all my fans. I hope to make this my first and last author's note in this story, but we will see what does or doesn't come up.

**About the Story:** Well, I just recently became a Slayers fan thanks to a member of our anime club at my college. My favorite character is Zelgadis and I am extremely fascinated by his plight to be human again. I've thought up many scenarios pertaining to this quest, but this is the first one I've written about.

This story actually won my own personal contest. See, I got bored over my month-long Christmas break and sent out summaries of stories I had planned to friends and let them vote. This one got the most votes, and I think it's the one I really wanted to do most anyway. I hope you're all enjoying it.

**About the Delay:** Yes, well, where I am there are 5 foot drifts of snow and my stepfather has been forced to work from home all week. While he is here, I am not allowed to use the internet lest it slow his progress, and let's face it, his work buys us food and my fanfiction does not. I also got kinda lazy. Haven't worked on chapter four much so far cuz I figure 'why, if I can't post it anyway?' But we cleared out our driveway and I've got all weekend to work, so we should be on our way again by Monday.

**About Gourry's Moment:** I know, Gourry seldom has moments where he can 'outsmart' Zel. But I figure Gourry may not be intelligent, so to speak, but he certainly understands the basics. People like Zel, who rely on logic, often don't see the simple things that are right in front of them. Because Gourry doesn't (or can't) overthink things, I believe he's much closer to certain sensibilities, emotions being forefront.

**About Taforashia and Ruvingald:** If you're not familiar with Pokota and his kingdom of Taforashia, you have not seen Slayers: Revolution and Slayers: Evolution-R. The two seasons are about 13 episodes long, each, and they are not dubbed, so you'll have to find them in Japanese with English subtitles. I recommend YouTube. During these two seasons, Pokota was seeking a way to restore his kingdom's people, who were under a mass sleeping spell, but once he did, Shabranigdo destroyed the place, thus I figure his wish would be to rebuild the country. A fine motive for fighting.

Ruvingald was also mentioned during Revolution. I decided to use it instead of making up my own country. The only problem I face is not knowing who rules Ruvingald, but I can think of someone we'd see on the battlefield nonetheless. But that of course, is a secret! :3

Alright, chapter three is next, and hopefully the rest will come soon after. Please continue on, and enjoy the story!


	4. Monster? No He's Not!

"This is ridiculous…"

"At least you're not wearing a dress…"

Lina and Zelgadis watched Seyruun's upper class grace the dancefloor from the edge of the ballroom. Lina was irate about being forced into a fancy gown, and cursed Philionel for his foresight. Zel did what he always did in the midst of a crowd – tried his best to remain unseen. Gourry, for his part, did not complain about the situation, but stayed in the shadows with them and tried to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

"And why doesn't he care what you guys wear?!" Lina glared at the two boys, still in traveling clothes.

"I think it's more like…he figures you need all the help you can get," Gourry concluded.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Lina was about to strangle Gourry when Amelia ran over. She looked like a true princess, dressed in a pale pink gown and a diamond tiara. Her appearance made Zel forget what he was complaining about.

"Everyone! You should be dancing too!" Amelia smiled at them.

Lina grinned slyly then and grabbed Gourry's hand. "Alright, I guess me and Gourry can cut a rug," she said, adding just before they stepped onto the floor, "Zel doesn't have a dance partner though. You should go with him, Amelia!"

Lina was dragged back by her free arm, and tried to look innocently at Zelgadis.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"You a favor." she whispered back.

"I can't go out there, Lina."

"Sure you can," Lina told him, "Just keep your hood up, and everything will be fine!" She smiled and pulled the hood of his cloak down over his eyes. He tried to push her away, but she was already waving and walking away.

"Would you dance with me, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked, following through with Lina's plans.

"Amelia, I don't think –"

"Come on," Amelia smiled and took his hand. Zel had no choice but to follow her onto the floor. Lina may have been joking, but he was glad for the hood; it hid his face from the other dancers.

Once on the floor, Zel opted to let Amelia lead; she knew what she was doing, after all. Granted, he was doing better than Lina and Gourry, who were always out of step and quickly annoying the other guests. All went perfectly fine for about ten minutes.

"Miss Lina was only kidding, you know," Amelia told him, "I really don't think you need the hood."

"Amelia, don't!" he tried to stop her, but she'd already raised her hand and pushed the hood down, away from his face.

Zel stopped dead. He'd already heard the first gasp, somewhere very near them. Then the ripple started. Whispers, glances, and slowly every couple stopped dancing to stare at them. At him.

Amelia glanced around, confused. Lina and Gourry looked up when the music stopped. Zel let his gaze wander the room. He saw every face, every emotion. Shock, fear. He slowly took his hand from Amelia's and set a glare on Lina, amongst the crowd.

"_Now _do you see?" he demanded.

Lina didn't know what to say. She didn't find her voice until Zelgadis turned and strode off the dancefloor. And even when she finally called his name, he didn't hear her. Or didn't want to.

* * *

Zel retreated to the library, the one place he didn't think they'd come looking for him. God knows, Lina would never set foot in there. But a certain curious monster would.

"Don't worry, Zelgadis, I'm sure some of the people down there were pulling for you," Xellos grinned as he materialized from the shadows, "After all, that old story about the princess and the beast used to be very popular."

"Shut up, Xellos!" Zelgadis yelled, "I'm not in the mood…"

Xellos strode threw the bookshelves until he found the chimera huddled on a desktop near the back. Parchment and books were strewn everywhere, shards of glass and torn pages littered the floor. Some of the shelves seemed charred by what had to be a magical flame.

"No, I can see that you're not," Xellos observed, "You threw quite the little temper tantrum in here…"

"I hate this…" Zel's voice was quiet, but the tone made Xellos hesitate to venture closer. "I hate what he made me!" Zel nearly screamed the words as images from the ballroom flooded his mind. People were all the same. It didn't matter where you went, they were all the same. Tears stung his eyes, but not of sorrow – they were hot with rage.

"It's not fair," Zel said, "that I have to suffer for his mistake. I am so sick of being treated like a monster!"

Xellos' grip tightened around his staff at the words. He stepped past Zelgadis to a table in an alcove amongst the shelves.

"May I show you something, Zelgadis?" he asked, clearing a spot on the table.

Zel hesitated but finally climbed down off the desk and joined Xellos. He watched as the monster picked up a fish bowl and proceeded to turn it upside down. Instead of pouring out of the bowl and leaving the lone fish to gasp on the floor, the water remained in the glass container even as it was set top down on the table.

Xellos tapped the fish bowl once and the water began to glow. Zelgadis watched an image take form in the bowl even as the fish swam around within it. He saw the ballroom downstairs, and then Amelia and the guests form themselves before him. Then Amelia's voice flowed from the image.

"…should be ashamed of yourselves!" the little princess was chastising the dancers, "That man is no different than you or I! He's a hero, just like Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry!"

She had tears in her eyes but a determined look on her face, and she smiled when she added, "And more importantly, he's my friend."

"Amelia…" Zel shook his head as the image faded.

Always Amelia.

Now the tears fell, and he hung his head as shame set itself upon him too. "Gourry was right…" he said miserably.

Xellos opened his eyes for the first time this adventure, and there was surprise in the two violet slits. "He was?!"

When Zelgadis didn't answer, Xellos turned to leave. But the chimera stopped him.

"Xellos!" he called, "Why are you doing this?"

"Oh?" Xellos looked back at him, "Doing what?"

"Helping me." Zel said.

"Don't flatter yourself, Zelgadis," Xellos smiled, "I'm not doing this for _you_."

"Then why are you here?"

"That –" Xellos raised one finger dramatically, "– is a secret!"

"Xellos?" Zel stopped him again before he could dematerialize, "If Lina gives me hell about this little 'moment' later, I'll know who told her…"

Xellos let the threat sink in, but didn't seem too worried as he answered, "Yes, I suppose you will." And he disappeared with a grin.

Zel stared at the spot the monster had been for moment, then turned back to the fish bowl. Curiosity forced him to reach his hand toward it but common sense stopped him from touching the thing. He shook his head and left.

* * *

In the morning, when the servants went into the library and found their work cut out for them, one happened to stumble upon an overturned fish bowl. He blinked in confusion as he watched the fish swim around in the bowl, undisturbed by the flip-flopped world. He reached out with both hands and grabbed the bowl gently. He raised it slowly only to have the water pour over the table and the floor, forcing him to run and find a mop, and a new temporary container for the fish.


	5. Important Author's Note

OK everybody. I know I promised you only one interruption in this story, but I have some semi-bad news. It looks like between the weather and my stepfather's work, I won't be posting again until I get back to school. But worry not! I'm returning to campus on Monday, January 18th. And I promise you the story will be done by then, so all you will be awaiting is the posting of each chapter.

Thank you so much for being patient with me, and for all the reviews and support. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, and I hope you enjoy the rest of it just as much. Love to all my friends and all my fans! See ya next week! :)


	6. Battlefield! My Kingdom for a Horse!

Amelia found Zelgadis the next morning, alone on one of the palace's many balconies. He was watching the clouds move and didn't notice her beside him at first.

"Mr. Zelgadis?" she said very quietly.

"Hey…Amelia…" he said, but he wouldn't look at her.

"I wanted to talk to you," she continued softly, "about last night…I wanted to apolo –"

"It's OK," he stopped her, "I actually wanted to thank you."

"Me?" Amelia looked surprised. She took the chair next to his, and seemed considerably less gloomy when she asked, "Why?"

"Well…" He'd forgotten she had now way of knowing he'd seen her stand up for him last night. He didn't even want to begin to explain Xellos' little fish bowl trick.

He was saved the trouble of bearing his soul by Lina's arm wrapping him in a chokehold.

"Zel! Amelia!" she cried cheerfully, "What are you two up to?"

"Can't breathe…"

"What do you do this early in the morning anyway?" she asked boredly, letting Zel go and wandering the balcony. Gourry joined them then, never far from Lina. They then joined the other two at the table.

"I was just thinking," Zelgadis began. He sounded almost distracted, as if he were still piecing the theory together, "How much do we really know about this war?"

"You mean how much of what Xellos told us can we believe?" Lina smiled, thinking along the same lines.

"If it helps," Amelia said, "I talked to Daddy yesterday. He said Seyruun is only doing battle to ensure the Wish Grantor doesn't fall into evil hands."

"On the mark, as usual," Lina high-fived Zel across the table.

"And what about Ruvingald and Taforashia?" Zelgadis asked Amelia.

"I don't know," she shook her head, "Daddy didn't say anything."

"I wouldn't expect the other armies to show up and tell Phil what they were planning anyway," Lina shrugged.

"So I think it's time we found out a little more for ourselves," Zel suggested.

"What did you have in mind?" Lina asked.

"Why not talk to the other armies themselves?"

While Amelia and Gourry looked sufficiently surprised, Lina did not glance up and Zel did not turn around as Xellos materialized behind him.

"Talk to them. How?" Zelgadis posed the question as if he hadn't already thought of it.

"Well, all three armies have their main camps at the base of the mountain," Xellos pointed to the distant tip of Mount Esha with his staff, "Why not…drop in on them?"

"I'm game," Zel shrugged.

"Count us in then," Lina smiled.

"But it'll take days to get there," Amelia pointed out.

"Xellos?" Zelgadis turned to the monster, "Could you get us a little closer to the battlefield?"

"Why," Xellos opened one violet eye mischievously, "I'd be happy to."

* * *

"This is definitely not what I meant!!"

Zel's cry went unheard over the clash of steel and tramp of horses' hooves all around them. Xellos had teleported them all to the center of the fighting and then dropped them there without so much as a "good luck!"

"Flare Arrow!" Lina sent the spell raining down on the soldiers nearest her.

"Lina! Don't attack them!" Zel called, "You don't know who's troops they are! What if they're Phil's? Or Pokota's?"

"They sure don't seem to know who _we _are!" Lina called back, and loosed another volley of magical flames.

She was right. When Zel looked around, he saw Gourry fighting with three other swordsmen and Amelia firing spells at the soldiers who attacked her. Even as he was watching, his pointed ears picked up the sound of a blade being drawn behind him.

Zel whipped around but didn't back up in time to miss the tip of the blade. It cut through his shirt and scraped against his rock-hard skin. It didn't hurt, and the soldier looked thoroughly confused, but it annoyed Zelgadis, and there was only one way to answer for that.

"Digger Bolt!" sparks of lightning leapt off of Zel's fingers and zapped the soldier that tried to cut him down. Even as the man fell fried to the ground, another took his place.

They were surrounded now. The four stood back to back and waited for the swords to pierce them. But then a voice shouted above the fray, "Hold it! HOLD IT! The four in the center, leave them to me!"

And out of the tangle of fighting men rode Pokota. The little creature looked quite out of place atop a black stallion, but the group could not have been happier to see anyone at that moment. Upon Pokota's arrival, a number of the soldiers turned from them and began fighting the troops around them.

"I should ask what you're doing here," Pokota called down to them, "but I'm not sure I wanna know."

"Get us outta here," Lina said, "and we'll tell you all about it!"

* * *

Pokota's main base wasn't far from where Xellos had abandoned them. They followed the prince back to his camp and were welcomed into his temporary headquarters, which was a large tent with the Taforashia crest on the side.

"So you're trying to get to the Wish Grantor too," Pokota said after hearing their story. He stood atop a table to be eye level with the group; being trapped in a stuffed animal had its downsides.

"Out of curiosity," Zelgadis said, "what does Taforashia want with it?"

"We're going to rebuild the kingdom," Pokota said happily, "All I have to do is wish for it to be the way it used to."

Some time earlier, the group had helped Pokota restore the people of Taforashia after Rezo had left them in a mass sleeping enchantment. It had cost them much of the country itself as the Dark Lord Shabranigdo was also resurrected with Rezo. The Red Priest had a habit of spreading misery as opposed to peace.

"You're on a roll today," Lina grinned and slapped Zel another high-five.

"What happened to 'the people _are_ the country'?" Zel asked, quoting Pokota's philosophy.

"Yeah, well," Pokota scratched his head with one of his floppy green and white ears, "the people have to have somewhere to sleep! Heh heh."

"Did you ever think about wishing for your body back?" Zel asked the caped plush toy.

Lina grabbed one of his pointed ears and yanked him down to her level. He couldn't see her frown, but he heard it in her voice. "Pokota may not be as selfish as you are…" she hissed.

Zel stared at Lina, who made an effort not to look at him. Her words stung, spontaneous as they were – where had _that_ come from? He almost didn't hear Pokota's next words.

"I'd never thought of that…" Pokota admitted, "But I'm so used to this one! Ha! I bet the Wish Grantor could do it for _you _though."

"Your Highness," a soldier poked his head into the tent, "Draab has been injured. You're needed on the front."

"You're welcome to stay here," Pokota said as he hopped off the table. They followed him outside the tent, and he told them, "As soon as we clear a path to the cavern, you may all come with me. I owe you one, after all."

"Thank you, Pokota," Lina smiled.

"What is _that_?!" the cry cut through the camp, and everyone's eyes shot up to the heavens. A large shape was flying toward the base, and it was flying fast. When it made its first pass over the cluster of tents and soldiers, it let out a stream of flames from its mouth. It passed directly above Lina and the others outside of Pokota's tent, the wind from its massive wings nearly blowing them all off their feet.

A golden dragon.

"Is that – ?!" Lina gasped.

"Couldn't be…" Zel shook his head.

As the dragon passed again, and then proceeded to fly away, they saw the bright pink ribbon tied around the end of its tail.

"Filia?!" they cried in shocked unison.

"Gotta go, Pokota!" Lina said as they all ran after the dragon, "Thanks again! We'll see you later!"

"Um…OK…" Pokota blinked along with his equally confused troops.


	7. Kidnapped? Where's Amelia?

Lina and the others followed the dragon across the battlefield, threading through clashing swords, screaming soldiers, and roiling horses. Zelgadis found himself scanning the faces of the troops for anyone they knew. Distracted, his gaze drifted, and that's when the horseman flew onto the scene.

Before he even knew what it was, Zel collided with the horse, got tangled in its legs, and found himself tumbling to the ground. And that hurt. The horse's hooves were almost as stony as his skin, and he felt the places it made contact as if they were outlined in the shape of horseshoes.

The horse felt it too; it favored its left foreleg as it shied sideways. Its rider tried to keep the animal from bucking him off, all the while glaring down at Zel with obvious fury.

"Uh-oh…" Zel breathed. And the horseman charged.

The horse nickered and dove forward. It reared above him as the soldier drew his sword. Zel saw the hooves tread the air and heard the man's battle cry. And he threw out the first spell that came to mind.

"Freeze Arrow!"

Both horse and rider were cased in ice, frozen in a war pose, and Zel was left in the dust to catch his breath. That didn't last long though.

"Zel! Come on!" Lina yelled from afar, "We're gonna lose her!"

Zel scrambled up and rejoined them in the chase.

"What is Miss Filia doing here?" Amelia cried as they ran.

"We'll ask her when she lands," Lina answered.

It was as if she were responding to Lina's comment, because at that moment the golden dragon began to descend. Filia's reptilian body glowed as she started to transform nearer the ground. The four followed her into a crowd of soldiers.

"Wait," Amelia said as they slowed and began scanning the surrounding men for a blonde, mace-bearing woman, "I recognize some of these men…"

" Miss Lina! Everyone!" Filia waved to them from a command tent among the troops.

"Filia!" Lina called and they made their way through the crowd.

Once inside the tent with her, Filia asked, "What are you doing here? Did Prince Philionel send you too?"

"Send us?" Lina cocked her head.

"Are you working for Phil now, Filia?" Gourry asked.

"After he was wounded, Prince Philionel wanted someone strong and trustworthy to take his place commanding the troops," Filia blushed at the self-praise, "He came to the shop himself, even though he was hurt."

"He would," Lina nodded.

"Where are Jillas and Gravos?" Zelgadis asked.

Concern clouded Filia's eyes, and she turned her gaze toward the battlefield below. "Probably fighting," she said, "I worry about them. I told them not to come, to stay and watch the store, but they wouldn't let me go alone."

After the showdown against Valgaav, both Jillas and Gravos had sworn to serve Filia, now the last golden dragon alive. They worked for her in her antique shop, which was just outside of Seyruun but must have fallen into its jurisdiction. Phil would not have recruited them otherwise.

"Isn't that sweet," Xellos chuckled into existence, "Devoted servants are hard to come by nowadays."

"Why do you always bring _him_ along?" Filia whined.

"We don't," Zel corrected her, "He tends to follow us." Xellos' pointed action of keeping Zelgadis between himself and the dragon did not go unnoticed to the chimera. The two were not exactly on friendly terms.

"And leave us in life threatening situations!" Lina snarled. Xellos shifted to stand further behind Zelgadis, but continued to smile affably.

"Oh, now, you needn't worry about me, Lina," the monster told her, "Instead, you may want to concentrate on Miss Amelia…"

It was an ominous comment, and it sent chills down Zel's spine. But it brought to light something he and the others had overlooked – Amelia was not in the tent with them.

"Where's Amelia?" Zel's eyes locked onto Lina's.

"She was with us," Lina shook her head, "Right outside. Right until…"

The three rushed outside and surveyed the multitude of faces. Filia and Xellos followed close behind. If Amelia was there, none of them saw her.

"Amelia?" Zel called, but there was no response, and all three of them felt the first caresses of fear. "Amelia!"

"Uh-oh!" Xellos said cheerfully but softly; Zel got the feeling it was meant for him.

* * *

Not that Zelgadis and the others would have any way of knowing, but Amelia was, at that moment, being dragged away from Seyruun's base camp. Four extremely tough looking beast-men had bundled her into an enchanted net and were currently taking her, she assumed, back to their base. Two were reptilian, and the other two resembled bears, one of which kept sniffing her and receiving snarls from his comrade.

"I hope this ends well…" Amelia whimpered.


	8. Rescue! I Meant to Do That!

After the initial panic wore off, the three returned to Seyruun's base with Filia. Now they looked at the situation and tried to divine a solution.

"Maybe she got lost on the way here," Gourry suggested with some sympathy.

"No, Gourry, Amelia wouldn't get lost," Lina rubbed her temples, "But I'm amazed you haven't…"

"What if she didn't leave by accident?" Lina recognized the contemplating tone in Zelgadis' voice, "Or by choice."

"What are you thinking?" Lina asked.

"Amelia is Seyruun's princess," Zel thought aloud for their benefit, "And Seyruun is currently at war."

"Yeah, go on," Lina prompted.

"What better way to force the opposing army's hand than to take something important to them," Zel explained, "and hold her hostage."

"You mean 'it'?" Lina smiled.

"I mean 'her'." Zel insisted.

"You think one of the other armies kidnapped Miss Amelia?" Filia sounded both shocked and angry.

"I don't think they intended to," Zel went on, "I think it's our fault."

"How?" Lina was affronted.

"We brought her here?" Zel reminded the sorceress.

"We brought her…" Lina repeated, "We handed her over."

"The worst place to bring one country's princess would be a neighboring country's battleground," Zel agreed.

"They just saw the opportunity, and took it," Filia put in sadly.

"But _who_ took it?" Lina looked to Zel.

"Not Pokota," he said, "He's on our side."

"That only leaves one suspect." Lina declared.

"Ruvingald." the name rang in unison.

"Does this make us kidnappers?" Gourry asked, worried.

"No, Gourry," Lina said, standing, "It makes us rescuers."

* * *

Amelia was becoming thoroughly sick of being sniffed. The one man-bear continued to snuffle her hair and clothes through the magical cords of the net. The proximity of his large muzzle, and consequently the fangs inside, was making her nervous.

"Um, excuse me?" Amelia ventured. She was met with a growl from the curious beast – a very menacing one. "Never mind…" she conceded.

The man-bear and his companions had dragged Amelia around the valley where the fighting was going on. They'd snuck her into a tent that was very similar to Pokota's and Filia's headquarters. She must be at the last army's base camp. Ruvingald's.

She could hear men talking outside, preparing for battle. And then the second man-bear joined them. He saw his comrade sniffing Amelia and let out a roar. Clearly she was off limits to them, and this beast had disobeyed. The accused growled himself, a beast-man equivalent of a muttered complaint; Amelia interpreted it to mean, "Who made _you_ boss?"

The challenge of authority enraged the great bear-like creature, and it leapt between her and her curious captor. It snarled and proceeded to bite the other on the muzzle. Amelia squealed.

"Oso! Kumo!" a voice commanded from the entrance to the tent, "Enough! Go make yourselves useful."

Reprimanded, the two slunk away from Amelia and out of the tent. And she got a look at her true captor for the first time.

"You?" Amelia was slightly less afraid now. The man before her had proven himself to be completely incapable of fulfilling any long term evil schemes in the past. She expected this would be another fine example of his ineptitude.

"Surprised?" the man smiled, eyes glinting behind his sunglasses. "With you here, your friends will have no choice but to come right to me."

"I don't think you want them to," Amelia warned him, smiling sympathetically.

"Oh, but I do," he told her, "and then I will finally bring Lina Inverse to justice!"

* * *

"Why are they even here?" Zel was appalled, "They're completely outnumbered."

"Which is weird," Lina said, "Cuz I always imagined Ruvingald to be militaryally powerful."

"Militaryally?"

"It's a word! Look it up!"

Lina, Zelgadis, and Gourry were staked out on a hill above Ruvingald's base camp. There were half as many tents in their camp as Taforashia's or Seyruun's, and a third as many soldiers. It was embarrassing.

"You know the drill." Lina said.

Zel nodded.

And they left the hill.

* * *

They were met at the edge of the camp by a handful of armed soldiers, and one obnoxiously familiar face.

"So, Lina Inverse," the man in sunglasses said, "Are you finally ready to face justice?"

"Inspector Wizer…" Lina sighed, "What a surprise…"

Ruvingald's special detective, Frayon Wizer. Just when they thought he'd given up on arresting the 'infamous sorceress' Lina Inverse, here he appeared to try again.

Wizer smirked and corrected her, "It's General Wizer, actually."

"They put _you _in charge of their _army_?!" Lina gaped like a fish.

"Indeed they did."

"And what does Ruvingald want with the Wish Grantor?" Lina demanded.

"I can't tell a wanted criminal such things," Wizer waved a scolding finger. And then he noticed something.

He narrowed his eyes behind the shades, and counted the outlaws before him. Lina Inverse, and the blonde swordsman; one…two…

"Where's the other one?" he asked savagely. He distinctly remembered the blue-skinned chimera – and he wasn't with them.

Lina put on her best innocent face, and shrugged.

* * *

Amelia could swear she heard Miss Lina's voice outside the tent now. Her friends had come, just like Wizer expected. But there was still no way this would end well for him.

Amelia felt something tug at the enchanted net, and her face lit up when she looked over her shoulder.

"Mr. Zelgadis!"

"Hush!" Zel commanded, "Lina's distracting Wizer. I'm going to get you out of here."

Amelia saw now that he was manipulating the strands of magical rope with his own magic. She also saw something large and furry move in behind Zel.

"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia cried as the man-bear aimed his teeth for Zel's neck. Zel looked up at the beastly behemoth, but he didn't have time for a spell. So he settled for the next best thing.

Amelia couldn't tell if this was Oso or Kumo, but whichever it was, it certainly wouldn't be making itself useful anytime soon. Zel had raised his arm up in self-defense at the last second. The beast-man's teeth met with the stony flesh and shattered on contact.

Amelia almost felt sorry for the creature as it whimpered and tore out of the tent. Zel returned to disenchanting the net, but he wasn't allowed to get far. He made only a small gap before the second man-bear stepped into the tent and roared.

"There are two of them?!" Zel cried.

"Well, yeah," Amelia stated as if it were completely obvious.

"Well, you didn't tell me that!" Zel snapped.

The monstrous creature lunged for Zelgadis, but snapped up only air. Zel had leapt up and positioned himself across the small space from the beast. When it charged again, he had no choice but to back out of the tent.

* * *

Soon after Wizer's question, a calamity seemed to befall the general's tent. A whimpering man-bear came running from the small unit to be replaced by a snarling one. The one to exit the tent seemed to have tragically lost its fangs. There arose a great roar and a greater commotion soon after. Zel burst from the tent with the angry beast-man close behind.

"Oops," Lina sighed, "Plan B. Fireball!"

The flame hit the miniscule camp head-on. Wizer, the soldiers, the beast-men. And the tent.

Zel and Gourry gave Lina disbelieving looks. The young sorceress could only stare at the dancing flames and chuckle nervously.

"Miss Lina!"

Amelia stepped from the fire and Zel let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Amelia smiled and joined them, unscathed thanks to a defense barrier she'd cast when Lina's spell hit.

"But how did you..?" Lina pointed from Amelia to the incinerated general's tent.

"Oh, it was easy," Amelia said, "once Mr. Zelgadis made a gap in the net. Then my magic could get out, and I broke the spell myself."

"Lina Inverse!"

The four turned and saw Wizer glaring at them from among the charred debris of his camp. He pointed a finger at the red-haired girl and her friends, yelling, "Mark my words, I _will _bring you to justice! I will not rest –"

"Yeah, yeah," Lina waved a disinterested hand, "Fireball."

"How was being kidnapped?" Gourry asked Amelia as the group walked away from the wreckage.

"Not as frightening as I'd expected," Amelia admitted.


	9. Liar? What Would YOU Wish For?

**Quick Author's Note:** I'm headed home for the weekend. That means you guys will have to wait until Sunday for chapter eight. ;) Enjoy, and see ya later!

After Amelia's unfortunate run-in with Ruvingald's finest, Zelgadis pointed out that it may be about time they headed to the cavern themselves. Things were escalating in the valley below the mountain, and they could only get worse. He made a point of pitching the idea as if it didn't pertain directly to him; he hadn't forgotten Lina's earlier words. Either way it was agreed upon.

Ruvingald's base camp was closest to the mountain, surprisingly. Phil's troops must have been doing a good job of keeping them tied up in the valley. From the same knoll they'd staked out Wizer's base on they could see Mount Esha's foothills. And they began to travel toward them.

* * *

"This would be so much easier with magic."

"And we would draw so much more attention to ourselves."

The general consensus, headed by Zelgadis and opposed by Lina, was that to Ray Wing their way up the mountain would attract the unwanted attention of the armies below. No one wanted to be the target of several hundred archers, and no one wanted to be responsible for flying Gourry up either.

Climbing a mountain without the necessary equipment is a slow process. Lina was jealous of Zel's ability to pull ahead of them and just as easily climb back down if Amelia or Gourry needed help. Once, Lina herself missed a foothold and started to slide back down. Her heart was just climbing into her throat when Zel caught her hand. How he'd got that far down that fast she didn't know, but she was less jealous now than grateful.

They were coming to the top of the mountain and had still found no sign of any caverns, and Lina was beginning to assume Xellos had lied to them. Again. And then Zel called down from somewhere above them.

"Hey, guys? I think I found it."

Lina was next to pull herself up onto the ledge he'd found. Zel was crouched on the edge waiting for them. When they all made it up, Lina knew they'd found the right place.

In the side of the mountain was a wide opening. It was almost perfectly square, so it was obviously not natural. The floor of the tunnel was smooth, and it went so far into the mountain that darkness engulfed it further in. The magical energy surrounding the place bore down on them like storm clouds.

Lina stepped forward, excitement building. They were so close. And then Zel grabbed her arm.

She turned her head to stare at him. The chimera was frowning, eyes scanning the cavern's entrance. He shook his head slowly and said, "Something's not right…"

"What?"

"Well done, everyone!" Xellos clapped leisurely as he shimmered into being. He hovered for only a moment before lighting on the path before them. And Zelgadis noticed he was very particular about it.

Why that spot?

"Shall we continue in then?" Xellos gestured behind him. Lina smiled and began to walk forward, but Zel stepped in front of her.

"Zel, what are you –" Lina started.

Zelgadis strode forward, came within feet of the monster, before drawing his sword and leveling it not an inch from Xellos' nose. Xellos seemed unfazed.

"Hm." Xellos opened one violet eye and asked, "Is there a problem, Zelgadis?"

"You're going to tell me." Zelgadis said.

"Zel!" Lina snapped, "What are you doing?"

"There's still something he's not telling us," Zel called to her; he would not take his eyes off of Xellos, "He's stringing us along, like he always does."

"Oh, Zelgadis," Xellos protested, "when have I ever –"

Zel cut him off by bringing the sword tip closer. Xellos quieted but still did not move from his spot. Either he was not entirely intimidated, or there really was something he knew that they didn't.

"Think you can answer a couple of questions?" Zel asked.

"Alright," Xellos had both eyes on Zel; now he was taking this seriously. "But I think you should know there are some things I am permitted to tell you and some things I am forbidden to tell you."

"By who?" Zel questioned.

"Lord Beast Master." Xellos said evenly.

"Right. Your boss." Zel said, and the term seemed to offend the monster, "OK, I think I can work with that."

Lina and the others stepped forward now, curious. Knowing Zelgadis, he'd probably planned out this entire scenario. He knew Xellos would show at the very last minute; Lina herself had expected that. But why the interrogation? Had Zel realized something they had failed to?

"First of all," Zel started, "how old is this cavern, Xellos? No, how old is the Wish Grantor?"

"Well, it's supposed to be a tool of the gods," Xellos answered, "I would imagine it was created before time even existed."

"So why are humans just starting to fight over it now?"

Xellos didn't answer immediately, and Lina realized she'd never thought of that. Something so old and of such great power should have been the subject of countless wars over the centuries. But this was the first time anyone had heard anything about it.

"Who did you tell before you came to us, Xellos?" Zel asked.

"Well," Xellos grinned as innocently as a monster can, "I may have mentioned it in passing to Inspector Wizer and one of Pokota's attendants…"

"_You_ started the war?!" Lina cried.

"Because monsters enjoy human suffering," Zel said, and Xellos only smiled. "But what I want to know," Zel went on, "is what _you_ get out of it."

"I am only here on Lord Beast Master's orders." Xellos told him.

"OK, let me rephrase the question," Zel changed tactics, "Could the kingdom of Ruvingald wish for world domination?"

"The Wish Grantor makes real one's deepest of desires," Xellos said, "So, I would assume so."

Zel narrowed his eyes and asked his last question, "Could a monster like Beast Master wish for the destruction of the world?"

Xellos grinned wickedly, "I can't answer that one."

Amelia let out a little gasp. Zel growled and tightened his grip on the sword handle; he wanted nothing more than to cut Xellos down where he stood.

"I'd like to suggest," Xellos spoke into the tension, "that we continue this inside. We may have some unwanted company very soon."

"The other armies," Lina said softly. They must have found a way up the mountain.

"Alright," Zel motioned into the tunnel with his sword, "But you're going first."

Xellos frowned now, and Zelgadis knew he'd been right – there was a reason the monster refused to step back any further.

"Well," Xellos sighed and turned, "if you insist…"

The monster took one step into the tunnel, and it was instantly clear he'd crossed some type of barrier. The wind picked up, flowing out of the cavern itself. And the ground shook, emitting an angry rumbling. Out of the darkness, something began to take shape.

Another monster.

"I think we're in trouble…" Gourry said quietly.

"Ya think so?" sarcasm laced Lina's voice.

The monster materializing before them was pure black with skin like wax, right down to the droplets oozing off its limbs. It had eight spindly legs, reminding them of a massive spider. Its eyes were a sightless silver, but apparently it could still identify intruders when they came along.

"Leave this place…" the words were muddled and gurgling but threatening nonetheless.

"Looks like the gods posted a sentry." Xellos observed.

"The gods employed a monster?" Lina asked, disbelieving.

"No," Xellos said as he inspected the creature, "it's no monster. But an astral-bodied beast all the same."

"Magic won't work on it then," Zel commented.

"Leave this place!" the creature repeated. It was clearly losing patience.

"We can't!" Amelia dared to speak to it, calling up to its unseeing face, "We need to see the Wish Grantor!"

"Those with black hearts and black desires are not welcome here…" it explained in its halting voice.

All eyes fell on Xellos. He'd broken the barrier, after all. But Xellos ignored them, and instead walked toward the creature.

"Xellos – !" Lina tried to stop him, although at this point she wasn't sure why.

"You four go on ahead," Xellos told them, stepping slowly before the guardian of the tunnel, "I'll catch up to you."

"But Xellos…" Lina started.

"I said go!" Xellos snapped. He raised his staff and the orb at the end began to glow a sinister red.

The shadowy sentry howled as its body was engulfed in flames.


	10. Desire! Zel's Wish!

The tunnel was filled with the screams of the guardian beast. It shook its shadowed head violently to remove the cinders that clung to its slimy skin. Xellos' attack had angered more than injured it, and it was beginning to retaliate. From its gaping jaw, it sent a stream of flame similar to the one Xellos had cast. But the monster simply removed himself from our plane in place of dodging. To Lina's and the others' surprise, he came back to send another spell the guardian's way. They watched for a moment as the two battled, Xellos slipping in and out of reality when attacked, but doing equally as little damage to the beast.

Lina was startled by a hand on her arm.

"Come on," Zelgadis tugged her toward the tunnel. Gourry and Amelia were already further ahead.

"We can't leave him with that thing!" Lina argued.

"Yes, we can," Zel said.

Lina glared.

"He'll be fine," Zel told her over the roaring of the guardian, "He told us to go."

Lina took one quick look back in the direction of the fight, then followed her friends down the murky tunnel.

* * *

The tunnel was dark, and quiet, and the further they followed it, the smaller it got until Zelgadis feared it would close off altogether. What would they do if faced with a dead end?

The close quarters forced them to walk ever closer. Behind him, Zel could feel Gourry's breathe on his neck; he wondered if Amelia could feel his just a few inches in front of him.

The silence in the tunnel enticed Zel's thoughts to wander. First to Xellos. He must not have been lying completely – they were in the cavern. But what was at the end of this tunnel? And why had the monster given up his chance at the Wish Grantor to fight some guardian beast that was obviously no match for him? Or maybe it was. But still, he'd let them go on ahead. That wasn't like him.

Then his mind strayed to Amelia, invisible in the darkness in front of him. He remembered the night before, the ball, the all-knowing fishbowl. Amelia more than anyone was always willing to go out of the way to give him the benefit of the doubt. But what about Lina and Gourry? It seemed like everyone was making concessions for him alone on this trip. For some reason, that didn't seem right.

"Hey! Look!" Lina called from the front.

There was the light at the end of the tunnel. By the time they'd stepped into it, Zel had already made up his mind.

The chamber before them was not what you'd expect from the hands of the gods. Maybe the celestial architects had taken a day off. The room was round and the walls were rough. The dim light seemed to come from a large stone set in the ceiling. The stone itself was a deep blue color that shimmered as if water were reflected in it. Directly below the enormous sapphire, was a stone altar; three steps to a flat platform of the same rock as the chamber.

Instantly upon entering, the four were greeted by a booming voice. "Who disturbs my slumber?" it demanded. Then, more softly, "Man, I've always wanted to say that."

They slowly picked themselves off the floor, and Zel asked the bodiless voice, "Are you the Wish Grantor?"

"I am," the voice replied, "I am able to grant the greatest wish of any being. Whose desire am I to fulfill?"

"That'd be this one," Lina grinned and pointed to Zelgadis.

"Very well," the Wish Grantor said, "Join me upon the altar."

Lina nudged him forward. "Go on," she said, "This is what you wanted."

Zel looked between her and the platform. "Yeah," he said slowly, "I guess…"

So he left them behind to go stand at the altar. With a glance back at the group over his shoulder he said in a low voice to the Wish Grantor, "Listen, um…this is going to be kind of a long wish…"

"What's he doing?" Gourry asked. Zel had done nothing but converse with the Wish Grantor so far, and they were growing impatient.

"Maybe he's negotiating a few _upgrades_, you know?" Lina grinned deviously.

"What?" Gourry and Amelia looked blank.

"Never mind…" Lina sighed.

"If that is what you wish…" the Wish Grantor said softly.

"It is." Zel nodded.

And the platform was flooded with a pure white light from the stone above. When it dissipated, the other three stepped forward. Zel didn't look at them immediately, so anxious Lina called his name.

He didn't answer.

"Zel?" Lina stepped up behind him.

Zel shook himself, almost as if coming out of a trance, and then turned to look at her. "What?"

They gaped.

He looked exactly the same. The wiry hair and rocky, blue skin.

Lina lost it.

"Hey! Wish Grantor!" she yelled, "What gives?!"

"I'm sorry?" the Wish Grantor's voice echoed, confused.

"I thought you said you could grant any wish!" Lina demanded.

"I can."

"Then why didn't you change Zel back?!"

"Lina." Zel's voice snapped her out of her rage. He was looking at her very seriously, and said, "That's not what I wished for."

Lina stared at him, dumbfounded. "It's not?"

"I wished for Phil to be OK." Zel explained, and Amelia's face lit up. "That his wound would heal and he'd recover. And I wished for Xellos to survive his battle, cuz, let's face it, things wouldn't be as much fun without him following us everywhere."  
Lina felt a smile spreading across her face. Gourry was already grinning.

"And I wished for Filia, and Pokota, and all our other friends to come out of the fight alright." Zel concluded, "Basically, that the war for this place would just…end."

"He wished for the safety and wellbeing of every person he cared for," the Wish Grantor explained, "A selfless and noble act…"

"Isn't that kind of like five wishes?" Lina asked skeptically.

"Never underestimate the power of the word 'and'." Zel told her.

"So just by making it all one, big, run-on sentence, it counts as a single wish?"

"Yes, I'll have to talk to my creators about that," the Wish Grantor said, "After all, I can't have every person who comes in here using it against me. But for Zelgadis I will make an exception."

"Thank you," Zel smiled.

"But Zel," Lina said, "I thought you wanted to be human more than anything…"

Zel shrugged. "I'll always be human. I just won't look it," he said, "Besides, I figured, what does it matter how I look if no one who cares about me is around to see it?"

"Oh, Zel…" Lina smiled.

"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia threw her arms around his neck, her way of thanking him.

"Uh, Amelia – …" Zel tried to speak but lost the words somewhere. Lina snickered when his cheeks flushed red.

An explosion from down the tunnel shook the chamber. The four exchanged a look.

Xellos.

"Thanks again, Wish Grantor," Lina called as they left, "but we gotta run! See ya around!"

"I wish," the voice said softly when the room was empty.


	11. Return! The End of Another Adventure!

The four made their way back down the tunnel to the entrance as quickly as the inhibiting darkness allowed. Once they came into the light of the cavern's opening, they were faced with a sight not unpleasant so much as unusual.

The large guardian beast that had tried to block their way originally had been reduced to a staggering mass of small ebony particles. It cried out weakly, barely holding itself together. But it was not Xellos alone who dealt the final blow; both Filia and Pokota used their magic to help slay the creature. When the last bits of black dust that formed it dissipated, Lina called to them.

"Filia! Pokota!"

All three turned to look at the approaching party. Lina watched their eyes travel to Zelgadis. They didn't seem as surprised as they should have been.

"He didn't –" she started.

"We know." Filia said softly, still looking at Zel. There was something like…admiration in her eyes.

"You should have seen it!" Pokota bounced on the spot excitedly, "It was incredible!"

"Seen what?" Zel asked.

"Uh…your wish?" Pokota said, as if Zelgadis was the stupidest person alive.

The four exchanged glances.

"Come on," Pokota bounced some more, gesturing toward the exit, "Come on! Come and see!"

* * *

Upon exiting the cavern, finding themselves perched on the same ledge as before, they were greeted by an amazing scene. On the battlefield below, soldiers were making their way back to their respective bases. They were packing up, readying to leave the valley.

"I don't understand," Zel said.

"You wished they'd stop, didn't you?" Pokota asked.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think…" his words trailed off as he surveyed the scene. It was like there'd been no battle raging moments ago.

"They're just leaving," Amelia observed.

"When you wished for the war to end," Filia explained to Zelgadis, "it was like they all just forgot what they were doing here."

"How come you guys remember?" Gourry asked.

"They were part of the wish," Zel deduced.

"That was incredible too," Pokota said, "All of a sudden I just _knew _where you guys were. And I _had _to be there."

"Me too," Filia said.

Zel cast a sideways glance at Xellos. Had he subconsciously sent them to save the monster when he wished for all of their safety? Xellos glanced at him, smug cheerfulness once again in place. Zel ignored him, drew himself up a bit higher in the pride of knowing he'd probably saved all three of them.

"Do you think Phil knows the war's over?" Lina asked, "And that we're safe? He was in your wish."

"We should return to Seyruun with the troops," Filia suggested.

"I have to get back to my men," Pokota said, following Filia slowly down the slope. "We'll need to return to Taforashia as well."

"Tell your dad we said hi!" Lina called after him.

"Well," Xellos said, hovering leisurely behind them, "I think I've done enough for this adventure…"

"You're leaving?" Zel asked hopefully.

"You can call it that." Xellos smiled.

"Where are you headed?" Lina questioned.

"That –" Xellos said, waving one finger as he faded, "– is a secret!"

"Come on," Gourry said, "We should go back with Filia."

"Yeah, I guess we're done here," Lina said lazily.

They slowly filed down the path that led to the valley below. Zel hung back, allowing the two girls to go in front of him. As she passed him, Amelia put her hand on his shoulder and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "Thank you."

Lina saw the young princess kiss the chimera on the cheek softly before descending the ledge. When she passed, Lina asked Zel as he joined her, "What else did you ask the Wish Grantor for?"

Zel blinked, confused. "Nothing," he said with complete innocence.

Lina believed him. But that didn't mean another of his wishes hadn't come true.


End file.
